With a long history, there are no shortage of interesting Senate facts. Below are a few of our favorites.
1. The word “senator” comes from the Latin word for “old man,” “senex.”
2. The first Senate met in 1789 in New York City. The Senate soon after moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington D.C. ten years later.
3. Out of 100 Senate seats, there are just 17 female Senators. The first female Senator was Rebecca Felton, a Democrat from Georgia in 1922.
4. U.S. Senators serve six year terms with no term limits.
5. The first Senators elected were Robert Morris and William Maclay from Pennsylvania in 1788.
6. The longest-serving Senator was Robert C. Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia who, in 2009, served for 56 years.
7. The first black Senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels in 1870, representing Mississippi after the Reconstruction.
8. The longest speech was Strom Thurmond’s 1957 filibuster against the Civil Rights Act. He spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes.
9. Thurmond was also the oldest Senator, retiring at 100 in 2002.
10. The first son and father team to serve in the Senate was Henry Dodge and Augustus Dodge in 1857 to 1866.
11. The first radio broadcast from the Senate chambers occurred on March 4, 1929.
12. C-Span began Senate coverage in 1986.
13. Tammy Baldwin is the first openly lesbian Senator. She was elected in 2012 and represents Wisconsin.
14. The first former president to be elected Senator was Andrew Johnson in 1875.
15. Senator James Shields represented Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri in the late 1800’s. He is the only Senator to represent three states in his career.
16. The first woman elected to chair a Senate committee was Hattie Caraway of the Committee on Enrolled Bills in 1933.
17. There have only been nine Hispanic and Latino American Senators.
18. There have only been nine African-American Senators, with just three currently in office.
19. Senators receive a yearly salary of around $165,000.
20. The youngest senator to serve was John H. Easton of Tennessee, who was 28.
– Stephanie Lamm
Sources: U.S. Senate, Feinstein for U.S. Senate, Info Please, Cardin for Senate, News One
Photo: Vintage 3D
Unused Health Club Memberships vs. Ending Poverty
Something happens to our collective resolve when the clock strikes midnight, marking the transition into a New Year. The temperamental season of New Year’s resolutions commences and the majority of Americans will endeavor to become slimmer, trimmer versions of last year’s selves.
January 1st is the Black Friday of the fitness world: newly inspired students flock to fitness gurus and snap up gym memberships in droves. Snap Fitness, a global chain of increasingly popular 24-hour fitness centers, signed on 100,000 new members in January 2012 alone. That month’s enrollment represented 15 percent of the total new memberships added for the year.
One month of gym access at Snap Fitness runs $35, a significant discount from the national monthly average rate of $55. Despite the cost, 50.2 million Americans (16 percent of the population) shell out the funds for health club memberships. Recently, boutique gyms have found and maintained an audience: barre classes, cross-fit training and specialty cycling sessions are now attracting followers with single class prices as high as $25.
Many well-intentioned workout fiends ultimately fall off the bandwagon: estimates suggest that only 47 percent of members meet “core” criteria by visiting at least 100 times a year (roughly twice a week.) Unmotivated exercisers translate into unused and underused memberships, and lots of them. Two-thirds of all memberships purchased in the United States will go untouched, representing an average waste of $39 per month and $480 per year per member.
As a nation, a whopping $12 billion annually is lost to unfulfilled gym time.
It is no small wonder that Bankrate included unused health club memberships on its list of “Top 10 Money Drains.” The entire diet and exercise industry is largely a black hole, and unused memberships represent only a fraction of the $60 billion spent annually on weight-loss programs and gimmicks. Ironically, the most expensive methods are typically the least effective because they eschew healthy habits for quick fixes. In fact, a U.S. Department of Agriculture study found that Americans can eat within the 2,000 calorie a day guideline and consume their entire RDA of fruits and vegetables for between $2.00 and $2.50 a day.
Despite the bounty of evidence suggesting that health clubs may ultimately prove a waste of money, over 30 percent of Americans plant to amp up their consumption of the hot commodity next year. Were the fit wannabes to invest in a more organic form of exercise and forward their cash to UNICEF, the organization could run the gamut of its programs and administrative duties well into 2015.
That possibility could bring a whole new meaning to the term “SoulCycle.”
– Casey Ernstes
Sources: Bankrate, International Health and Sports Association, Marketplace Business, Research America, The Oregonian, UNICEF, USA.gov, US News and World Report
Photo: Giphy.com
20 Facts About the U.S. Senate
With a long history, there are no shortage of interesting Senate facts. Below are a few of our favorites.
1. The word “senator” comes from the Latin word for “old man,” “senex.”
2. The first Senate met in 1789 in New York City. The Senate soon after moved to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington D.C. ten years later.
3. Out of 100 Senate seats, there are just 17 female Senators. The first female Senator was Rebecca Felton, a Democrat from Georgia in 1922.
4. U.S. Senators serve six year terms with no term limits.
5. The first Senators elected were Robert Morris and William Maclay from Pennsylvania in 1788.
6. The longest-serving Senator was Robert C. Byrd, a Democrat from West Virginia who, in 2009, served for 56 years.
7. The first black Senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels in 1870, representing Mississippi after the Reconstruction.
8. The longest speech was Strom Thurmond’s 1957 filibuster against the Civil Rights Act. He spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes.
9. Thurmond was also the oldest Senator, retiring at 100 in 2002.
10. The first son and father team to serve in the Senate was Henry Dodge and Augustus Dodge in 1857 to 1866.
11. The first radio broadcast from the Senate chambers occurred on March 4, 1929.
12. C-Span began Senate coverage in 1986.
13. Tammy Baldwin is the first openly lesbian Senator. She was elected in 2012 and represents Wisconsin.
14. The first former president to be elected Senator was Andrew Johnson in 1875.
15. Senator James Shields represented Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri in the late 1800’s. He is the only Senator to represent three states in his career.
16. The first woman elected to chair a Senate committee was Hattie Caraway of the Committee on Enrolled Bills in 1933.
17. There have only been nine Hispanic and Latino American Senators.
18. There have only been nine African-American Senators, with just three currently in office.
19. Senators receive a yearly salary of around $165,000.
20. The youngest senator to serve was John H. Easton of Tennessee, who was 28.
– Stephanie Lamm
Sources: U.S. Senate, Feinstein for U.S. Senate, Info Please, Cardin for Senate, News One
Photo: Vintage 3D
Heavy Charity: Incubus’ Make Yourself Foundation
Interested in rocking out for a good cause? American rock and metal band Incubus is. Perhaps best known for their string of hits in the early 2000s, including “Drive” and “I Wish You Were Here,” Incubus has been an American rock staple for over twenty years. The band has a massive following, and recognizing their fame as an effective platform to promote global and social change, Incubus founded the Make Yourself Foundation in 2003.
Since the Foundation’s beginning in 2003, it has raised over $1.6 million for various charitable organizations and causes. Proceeds from the bands record sales, show tickets, and merchandise sales go directly to the Foundation. In this way, Incubus connects its fans with the organization’s good deeds. Going in further in connecting fans with charity, Incubus encourages fans to create their own profile on the Make Yourself Foundation’s website. This profile acts as both a social networking tool for music lovers, as well as a fundraising campaign profile.
The Foundation has supported numerous charities over the years, including the American Red Cross, UNICEF, Music for Relief, and Carbon Neutral. Its work with the Red Cross began in 2004, when in its early stages, fans involved with the Foundation raised over $100,000 for the Tsunami relief fund in Asia.
Incubus is an incredibly green and environmentally conscious band. In 2007, the band partnered with Carbon Neutral to offset the carbon emissions let off by the tour. This included planting trees and donating money for the research of alternative energy sources. Current environmental causes supported by the Make Yourself Foundation include Carbon War Room’s “Ten Island Renewable Challenge” and the Ocean Conservancy.
Brandon Boyd, Incubus’s lead singer, states on the Foundation’s page that “It has always been my observation that to live by example is the most admirable way to walk the earth!” The Make Yourself Foundation indeed sets an example of charity and advocacy for all to follow.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: Make Yourself Foundation, Paste Magazine
Photo: Giphy.com
Eradicating Violence Against Women in Schools
It’s simple: violence against women exists in various personal and professional settings. One in three women throughout the world will experience some sort of sexual violence in their lifetime. It is an epidemic. Such violence not only creates physical and emotional scars, but it impedes all forms of progress. It keeps women from being equal participants in the workforce, and as a result, nations that do little to curtail violence against women are losing about $5 billion per year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
This gendered violence is seen even greater in school settings, where gender discrimination leads young women to perform poorly or even drop out of school. This leaves many young girls illiterate and impoverished. Known to the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative as “School-related gender-based violence” (SRBGV,) this form of violence against women affects millions of female students worldwide. Such violence goes far beyond just physical violence, but includes all forms of gender bullying, and verbal harassment as well.
The U.N. recognizes the importance of eradicating violence against women in schools. Partnering with Education International and the Global Education First Initiative, the U.N. Girls’ Education Initiative announced a Joint Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25. The Statement sees SRGBV as a “serious obstacle” to the U.N.’s Education for All and Millennium Development Goals.
“Too often, SRGBV remains undetected, unreported, and even overlooked in school, the very social institution where children are expected to be safe, protected, and empowered,” reads the U.N.’s joint statement. “Yet teachers, schools, and education systems are also fundamental in transforming practices, attitudes, and values. Quality education for all can only be realized in safe and supportive learning environments.”
Addressing violence against women in school settings must be a priority for any global education initiative. The U.N.’s joint statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is hopefully an effective step in stopping this epidemic.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, Think Progress, Thomas Reuters Initiative
Photo: Vintage 3D
Film Tells Story of Exiled Musicians in Mali
In every culture, music is a special way to tell a story. It says something unique and important about a culture, and is an essential way to connect people. Music’s importance is seen most visibly in Malian culture, where music is not a profession or a pastime, but a people. Griots are musicians who tell stories about Malian history, and hold the keys to the past. In Mali, therefore, music is culture.
In 2012, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa banned all music in Northern Mali. This movement took over Northern Mali after a violent take over instigated by Islamic extremism. This music ban forced Malian musicians to either flee the nation or move underground. As a result, an incredible counter-cultural movement is sweeping over Malian music.
“They Will Have to Kill Us First: Malian Musicians in Exile” is a documentary currently being commissioned by British director Johanna Schwartz and producer Kat Amara Korba. The documentary will explore how Malian musicians are seeking to restore music and peace to the ailing nation. Musicians featured in the documentary will include Khaira Arby (the “Nightingale of the North”,) Manny Ansar (a music festival director), and Toumani Diabate (a 72nd generation Griot.)
The project began shooting in February 2013, near the beginnings of the conflict, and will continue to shoot through April. The documentary is being independently funded through a Kickstarter Campaign. The fundraiser officially achieved its goal of 30,000 British pounds on December 7, 2013, but is still accepting pledges to meet production costs.
As stated by Malian musician Fadimata Disco Walet Oumar, “They want to ban music? They will have to kill us first.” Mali’s musical rebellion is a testament to the power of expression.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: Kickstarter, They Will Have to Kill Us First
RadioHead, Gabriel Add Names to Free Tibet Petition
On December 16, musicians Peter Gabriel, Thom Yorke, Ed O’Brien (Radiohead), Serj Tankian (System of a Down), and Tjinder Singh (Cornershop) became the first five signatures on a petition to help eight fellow musicians.
Free Tibet, a non-profit organization, launched a petition calling on China to release eight Tibetan singers who are being held for singing songs about their hopes and concerns for Tibet and Tibetan culture.
Free Tibet focuses on campaigns for Tibetan self-determination, human rights in Tibet, and an end to Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Since 1950, China has occupied Tibet, attempting to crush the state. Images of the Tibetan national flag and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, are prohibited. According to the UN, more than 120 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese occupation. Tibetans celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday were shot by security forces, and anyone who objects to showing loyalty to China risks imprisonment and torture.
Among those imprisoned are the eight musicians named on the Free Tibet petition.
Lolo, Chakdor, Pema Trinley, Kalsang Yerphel, Shawo Tashi, Ugyen Tashi, Achok Phulsung, Choksal were arrested and sentenced since 2012. Lolo has the longest sentence, currently serving six years in jail. His crime? Calling for Tibet’s independence, unity of the Tibetan people, and a return of the Dalai Lama.
Shawo Tashi was sentenced to five years in jail after participating in anti-China protests, distributing photos and notes of Tibetan self-immolators, and singing national pride songs.
Pema Tinley received a two-year sentence after singing songs that praised the Dalai Lama and Tibetans who have self-immolated in protest against China’s occupation.
The petition calls on China to respect the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“China claims to protect Tibetan culture but by imprisoning these musicians it is suppressing that culture, as well as violating the human rights of these individuals.”
You can check out the petition for yourself here: https://www.freetibet.org/
– Claire Karban
Sources: Free Tibet, Look to the Stars, Huffington Post
Photo: Arts Freedom
2004 Thailand Tsunami: 10 Years Later
December 26, 2004. Billions of people were waking up, making coffee, or in other parts of the globe preparing for a good night’s sleep. On the coast of Thailand, billions of tons of water crashed onto the shores. An extremely powerful earthquake, classified as a ‘megathrust’, caused an enormous Tsunami. Major damage was suffered up and down the coastline, including the eco-resort of KhaoLak. A classic warning sign of an impending tsunami is a trough, when the ocean is pulled back from the shore before the waves come down. Sunbathers and swimmers alike did not have time to register this warning as they were distracted by the thousands of fish left on the sand. Nearly six thousand people were killed, and many of them were vacationing tourists. Hundreds more were injured or displaced from their destroyed homes. The main city with excellent hospitals, Phuket, became the main area of medical care during the aftermath and was covered intensively by media and news crews.
Under a ‘memorandum of understanding’, the U.S. donated with other nations Part One of the DartII buoy system to Thailand. The system uses ‘tsunameters’ and seismic information to predict potential tsunamis. The goal is to give everyone on the Indian Ocean from Thailand to Sri Lanka a sixty minute warning before another tsunami strikes. The systems have been implemented gradually since 2005, and are known collectively as the Indian Ocean Project. Thailand today is almost reminiscent of what it was before the tsunami ever struck. Beach days and nightlife are in full swing, hotel rates are down, shopping is up, and Thailand is welcoming visitors and tourists for the New Year. Economically, tourists visiting will help boost the market and get Thailand back to a stable place from which they will continue to grow.
The Impossible is a feature length film that was released in 2012, eight years after the tsunami struck Thailand. It is based on the true story of Maria and Henry Bennet as well as their three sons, Thomas, Lucas, and Simon. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor play the parents of the three boys that were staying at a resort on vacation when the Tsunami struck. Maria and Lucas were separated and stranded on the coastline, both severely injured. Henry, Simon, and Lucas had survived and ended up searching the resort for the rest of their family before traveling to Phuket to search the hospitals. Maria and Lucas ended up being aided by locals and also taken to the hospital in Phuket. The movie follows their harrowing and desperately hopeful story of surviving the tsunami and finding their way back together which, in the end, they do. The real family has returned to the beach every Christmas Day since, as a reminder to themselves and their children not to live in fear but to conquer the impossible.
– Kaitlin Sutherby
Sources: Phuket Thailand, Jakarta Post, IMDB
Photo: Giphy.com
With, Without: How Greed Perpetuates Hunger
There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but due to a variety of factors, global hunger persists. In fact, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO,) the world produces enough food for everyone to intake 2,700 calories a day, much more than the recommended 2,000.
Nevertheless, nearly a billion people go to bed hungry. The reason behind this is multifaceted. Astounding amounts of food are wasted due to poor transportation and storage infrastructure. Even more goes in the trash uneaten. A great deal of grain crops are used for bio-fuels and animal feedlots rather than starving people. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact hunger is caused by inequality.
How are people to combat this inequality? Countries such as Brazil and Ghana have shown success through raising their minimum wage, giving cash to poor people, and investing in small-scale farms. World hunger comes down to the fact that many people simply cannot afford food, with over a billion people living on $1 a day.
The history of poverty begins with globalization and colonialism. When land is privatized and controlled by the few, the majority of people are forced into selling their work for food. Land ownership in the hands of the few is the main cause that spurred income gaps throughout the world.
Colonies exploited the resources and land of their colonies and kept them saddled in debt by claiming ownership in order to maintain this advantage for the long run. Today, less than 25 percent of people use more than 80 percent of the world’s resources. This is a direct result of the economic repression that so many populations are under and have been under for hundreds of years.
Greed led to colonial powers gaining monopolies and establishing claims on resources that were not theirs. Greed led them to effectively enslaving their colonies under shackles of labor and heavy debt for land and resources that originally belonged to the colonies. Although there are many great NGOs and advocacy agencies that have brilliant ideas for solutions to global hunger, few acknowledge colonialism as the original foe, and lack of land ownership as the original problem.
Perhaps people can examine this complex issue more clearly if they perceive it as a parable. In a sun-drenched country, men live peaceful lives on their own farms. One day, a greedy man takes over, burning all their farms and forcing them to work for him. This man builds one massive farm, and exploits their labor and pushes growth, seeking to eat up the rest of the smaller farms in the land. In the end, he is the one who gets all the profits, while the rest barely survive.
This is not a story anyone wants to hear, but it is one that has been in action for centuries. Let us acknowledge this past and seek ways to start a new story.
– Jordan Schunk
Sources: Alternet, The Economist, The Guardian, Huffington Post
Roberto Clemente: Sports’ Most Charitable Legend
He amassed 3,000 hits and four batting titles in his seventeen-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the NL MVP in 1966, and helped guide the Pirates to a World Series crown in 1971. Add twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards for defensive excellence in right field and Roberto Clemente’s resume as one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball is impressive. Clemente’s legacy, however, goes far beyond key hits and defensive web gems.
Roberto Clemente was MLB’s most beloved humanitarian. Born in Puerto Rico in 1934, Clemente worked tirelessly to promote greater accessibility and equality for Latino Americans, both within baseball and outside of it. Clemente was famous for hosting baseball clinics for underprivileged youth free of charge. He also delivered significant financial aid to people in his native Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other countries in Latin America.
Clemente made a reported annual salary of $125,000, which amounts to less than $1 million in today’s terms. Yet Clemente still made charity a focal point of his professional life. Clemente once famously said, “There is nothing wrong with our homes, our country, that a little more care, a little more concern, a little more love, won’t cure.” Clemente’s vision of humanitarianism is one that contemporary athletes should take to heart.
And many have. Since 1971, MLB has given the Roberto Clemente Award to the player who exemplifies Clemente’s commitment to community involvement. This year’s winner is St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran. Beltran created the Carlos Beltran Foundation to support academic achievement for underprivileged youth. This culminated in the opening of the Beltran Academy in Puerto Rico, which will house a state-of-the-art learning facility for young students and athletes.
A few months after reaching the exclusive 3,000 hit club, Roberto Clemente flew to Nicaragua. The country was reeling after a devastating earthquake in 1972. Clemente was traveling to Nicaragua to deliver relief and aid supplies, a further example of his devotion to humanitarianism. His plane crashed en route to Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve in 1972. Roberto Clemente died at the age of 38, fighting to help those in need.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, Total Pro Sports, Smithsonian Institute, MLB
Catalysts for Change
A first of its kind, Catalysts for Change, an innovative and interactive online game, was run by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Institute for the Future last year in the beginning of April. The game prompted participants worldwide to discuss and come up with ways to battle the plentiful issues of poverty. The game itself was designed around four catalysts: new evidence, new capacities, new rules and new stories, all of which contributed to the card-based gaming platform.
Players could share ideas through Positive/Critical imagination cards – these had the potential to be built on by others through Momentum, Antagonism, Investigation and Adaptation cards. Leaderboards were also created, displaying points players had earned through using and gaining said cards. These could furthermore be categorized as Scenario Fail, Common Knowledge or Super Interesting based on the players’ personal perception of presented ideas. Achievements spanning across seven levels, going from Inspired to Legend, were available for unlocking before being recorded in player profiles. Each card played was then cataloged by category, available for public viewing on a special dashboard.
A game blog recorded all progress and presented new missions and challenges in real time. Two weeks before the actual game start, several preparations were made including social media advertising and buzz-building, recruitment, email exchange between coordinators across the world and various sponsor partnerships which led to further awareness among people. Most follow-up cards played were either Investigation or Momentum; of the top-tier, Critical versus Positive imagination were played, the latter being more than twice as frequent. Around 53% of all cards had follow-up cards attached, spanning overall very optimistic and fruitful discussions. As expected from discussions concerning poverty, themes such as education, work and community were amongst the most common. A few top innovative ideas that were brought up include:
– Alternative economic systems or a universal currency
– Empathy, i.e. teaching children from an early age to perceive worldly problems
– Entrepreneurial education and new business funding as a common endorsement for all
– Socially engineered ways around corruption
– Sharing to eliminate waste
Although the aim of the game was not to implement any policy for actual poverty reduction, it managed to fulfill its purpose: to motivate and bring together people in their desire to make a change. Several of the players, engaged among one another, even discussed ways they could contribute beyond playing the game, such as starting a non-profit together centered chiefly around their ideas. The attention on social media (Facebook and Twitter) that Catalysts for Change received helped further spread the cause. Thoughts shared by players are still accessible on the website today, providing ‘food for thought’ for anyone hungry for making a difference. Although the game spanned for only 48 hours, it attracted 1,616 players from 79 different countries who used a total of 18,207 cards.
– Natalia Isaeva
Sources: The Rockefeller Foundation: Catalysts for Change, Institute for the Future
Photo: Vimeo